Battle game apparatus wherein the targets are randomly positionable electric bulbs



April 2, 1963 F. P. ANDERSON 3,376,041

BATTLE GAME APPARATUS WHEREIN T Filed A ril 24, 1964 TARG ARE RANDOMLYPOSITIONABLE ELEC C BUL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Francis P. AndersonBY. Z4 qx W ATTORNEY United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Abattle game having first and second target fields, each includingcoordinately arranged battle zones. Elactric bulbs having removablecovers of different colors are receivable within said battle zones toserve as the targets. Power and connecting means are provided wherebyeach player can selectively cause energization of battle zones tothereby cause an electric bulb, if positioned within the selectivebattle zone, to glow, thus signifying a hit.

This invention relates generally to the well-known battleship gamewherein .one player repositions the various ships of his fleet on acoordinately arranged target field, the opposing player being thenafforded the opportunity of sinking those ships by attempting tocorrectly call off the coordinate positions thereof, the latter, ofcourse, being concealed from the opposing player. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a new and useful electrical apparatus forplaying the game.

Although various types of construction have heretofore been devised forplaying the battleship game, the present invention provides an apparatusuniquely improving thereover, said apparatus including means wherebyindividual ships may be illuminated when hit, said ships beingcharacterized by electric light bulbs which may be manually and randomlypositioned in selected battle zones of a target field by one player,whereafter the other player, visually obstructed with respect to saidselected battle zones, is afforded opportunities for remotelyeffectuating illumination of his opponents ships to thus accomplishdestruction thereof.

Accordingly, and consonant with the foregoing, the instant invention hasfor an object the provision of a game apparatus including target indiciaremovably associated with ship simulating electric bulbs to enable bothidentification of ship classifications and indications of hits withrespect to individual ships.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus ofthe foregoing character including means for recording hits and misseswith respect to an opponents target field and for recording theclassifications of any ships which are hit.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a gameapparatus including a dividing barrier for concealing the playing areasof opposing players.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game apparatusin accordance with the foregoing wherein the dividing barrier alsoserves as a common supporting member for Opposing target fields.

Another general object of the present invention is to provide anapparatus of the described character which will be simple in structure,economical of manufacture, stimulating and amusing to play and highlyeffective in use.

Other objects and advantages of the instant game apparatus will be setforth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or maybe learned by practice of the invention, the same being realized andattained by means (if the structure defined and pointed out in theappended claims.

The accompanying drawings referred to herein and constituting a parthereof illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with thedescription, serve to eX- plain the principles of the invention.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the gameapparatus wherein the respective target fields are integrally containedwithin the upstanding dividing barrier;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view structure;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a memory field and playselector member illustrated in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional segment of the dividing barriertaken along line 55 of FIGURE 3, an electric bulb and a target indiciumcover being illus trated in separated relation;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a play recording zonetaken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodirnent of theinvention; and

FIGURE 8 is a diagram of the circuitry utilized in both the preferredand alternate embodiments of the instant game apparatus.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of theinvention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, FIGURES 1-3 showsaid embodiment designated generally by numeral in the various positionsas heretofore described.

More specifically, the game apparatus include a game board 1 havingidentical playing areas 2 and 4, respectively, dividing barrier 6extending upwardly of said game board intermediate said playing areas,target fields 8 and 10 positioned upon obverse and reverse faces 12 and14, respectively, of said dividing barrier, and memory fields 16 and 18being disposed'on opposite sides of said barrier as shown.

The targets fields 8 and 10, it will be observed, are formed of battlezones 20 which are coordinately arranged in rows and columns. Withreference to FIGURE 3, typical target field 8 is shown comprised of rows15 and columns A-E, battle zones 20, therefore, being coordinatelyidentifiable as 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and so on through 5A, 5B, 5C, SD, SE,the latter grouping being designative of the battle zones comprising rownumher 5 and the former grouping being designative of the zones of rownumber 1. Play selector members 22 and 23 are each respectivelyconnected in series in accordance with the typical circuitshown inFIGURE 8, With individual electric bulb receiving sockets 24 disposedWithin the battle zones of target fields 10 and 8, respectively.Accordingly, play selector member 22, e.g., will upon selective rotationthereof by a player, control the association of said selector memberwith the electric bulb receiving sockets of opponents target field 10, asimilar association existing between play selector member 23 and targetfield 8. As further illustrated in FIGURE 8 of the drawings, individualswitching contactors 26, when selectively contacted by rotor connector28 of exemplary play selector member 22, complete a circuit whichincludes a play initiating switch 30, a power supply 32 and of theforegoing a particular socket 24, the latter being selected by theplayer on the offensive. Also observable in said FIG- URE 8, playindicating means 34 which is an electromagnetically operated buzzer orsounding device is connected in series with said power supply and saidplay initiating switch, and therefore will be sounded upon closure ofthe play initiating switch 30 which takes the form of a depressiblebutton as shown in the drawings.

ta Pursuant to the foregoing it will be appreciated that the presentgame apparatus includes two individual circuits identical to the circuitdisclosed in FIGURE 8, each circuit including its own components asaforedescribed. It is, however, contemplated that certain components maybe commonly included or shared between both circuitry systems, as forexample, a common power supply may be utilized.

In the preferred embodiment, play indicating means 34 are shown disposedwithin upstanding dividing barrier 6; the alternate embodiment shown inFIGURE 7, however, including a removable dividing barrier 6 and havingsaid indicating means disposed within the base of game board 1 thereof.With further reference to said alternate embodiment, it will be seenthat target fields 8 and 10 are also disposed within the base of gameboard 1, said target fields being respectively positioned adjacentmemory fields 1'6 and 18, as shown, and represented by said electricbulbs. In the event, upon depression of a play initiating switch 30, aindicate the accomplishment of a hit, the colored cover 38 disposedthereover will be removed to thus record the destruction of a ship, thecover or covers of bulbs similarly lighted being stored so that upontermination of the game, a record may be had of the types of ships whichwere hit by the opponent.

Said memory fields 16 and 18 which are juxtapositioned with respect toaforedescribed target fields 8 and 10, respectively, serve as meanswhereby a player may record hits and the class of ship hit in the courseof his oifensive, usually consisting of three shots per turn. That is,as shown, a memory field presents an identical representation of thetarget field of an opponent, the individual play recording zones 40being in coordinate correspondence with the battle zones 20 of saidopponents target field. Each play recording zone, as shown in enlargedform in FIGURES 4 and 6 of the drawings, contains a plurality of bores,bores designated by numerals 42, 44 and 46 being provided to permitrecordation of a hit upon a battleship, destroyer or cruiser,respectively, bore 48 being provided to permit recordation of a miss.Play recording means 50, consisting of pegs interchangeably receivablewithin said bores, are utilized in conjunction with said bores to recordthe positions of shots and the effects thereof with respect to the typesof ships, if any, destroyed as stated by the opponent, after thepredetermined number of shots are made. It will be understood that othersuitable play recording means may be used and arrangements may be usedand the numbers of bores may be varied in accordance with the assortedtypes of ships desired to be employed in the game.

In operation, a first player will preposition, e.g., three blue covered,two red covered and three yellow covered bulbs representing threebattleships, two destroyers and three cruisers, respectively, withinselected sockets of his target field. The ships of each class areclustered Within adjacent sockets. Thus, a total of eight bulbs willoccupy sockets of said target field, the remaining battle zones thereofbeing unoccupied. The opposing player will then rotate the rotorconnector 28 of the play selector member Within his playing area to aselected coordinate position, e.g., 1A as shown in FIGURE 4 of thedrawings. In the event a bulb is contained within the battle zonecoordinately positioned at 1A, the bulb therein will light upondepression of play initiating member 30 within the opposing playersplaying area, play indicating means 34 contained within said opposingplayers circuit being sounded when member 30 is depressed. Said opposingplayer then makes two other selections with his selector member andactuates his play initiating member 30 each time. At the conclusion ofsaid opposing players turn which consisted of three shots (thisarbitrary number may be varied), the first player will state whether anyhits have been made, the number thereof and the bulb lights to thusclassifications of the ships, if any, that were hit. Said first playerwill also remove the covers 38 from the bulbs 36 that were lighted. Saidopposing player will place pegs 50 within bores of his play recordingzones which correspond to the types of ships hit. For example, if saidopposing player selected shots 1A, 5B and 1C and a battleship was theonly ship destroyed, said first player would state that a battleship wasthe only ship hit, whereupon said opposing player would place a peg 50Within bores 42 and 48 of each of his play recording zones coordinatelydesignated 1A, 5B and 1C inasmuch as he is only certain that one ofthese three battle zones of the first player contained a battleship,although he is not certain of which particular zone. He records a misswithin each of these zones inasmuch as he knows that any one of thesezones may have been unoccupied. If, for example, he had been told thathe had three hits he would be certain that each of the battle zonesfired upon were occupied. Unless, in the latter example, he is told thathe had hit three battleships, he would place pegs into the borescorresponding to the ships he is said to have hit. That is, if he istold that he hit a ship of each class, bores 42, 44 and 46 of each playrecording zone chosen would receive a peg. After the opposing player hashad his turn, the first player makes his play consisting of three shots,the objective being to be the first to sink all the ships of theopponents fleet.

Both the structural and operational characteristics of the inventionhaving been described, it will be understood that changes may be made inthe form, construction and arrangement of parts from those disclosedherein without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention orsacrificing any of the attendant advantages thereof, provided, however,that such changes fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a game board having first and secondplaying areas, each playing area including a target field and a memoryfield, a fixed dividing barrier extending upwardly substantiallyintermediate of said game board, the memory field of said first playingarea being disposed surfacedly of said game board on one side of saiddividing barrier, and the memory field of said second playing area beingdisposed surfacedly of said game board on the other side of saiddividing barrier, said dividing barrier having obverse and reversefaces, the target fields of said first and second playing areas beingdisposed surfacedly of said obverse and reverse faces of said dividingbarrier, respectively, each target field being formed of coordinatelyarranged battle zones, each battle zone having an electric bulbreceiving socket fixedly disposed therewithin, a plurality of electricbulbs received within a plurality of said sockets, respectively, aplurality of light-transmitting, colored target indicium coversremovably and slidably secured to said electric bulbs, said covers beingrelatively differently colored and being interchangeably securable toeach of said bulbs, each memory field having coordinately arranged playrecording zones, the zones of the memory fields being in coordinatecorrespondence with the zones of the target fields, play recording meansassociated with said play recording zones, said latter zones beingadapted to removably receive said play recording means, first and secondplay selector members juxtapositioned with respect to said first andsecond playing areas, respectively, said selector members being providedwith a plurality of individual switching contactors, the number of saidindividual contactors being at least equal to the number of battle zonesof each target field, the respective contactors of said first playselector member being electrically connected to said bulb receivingsockets disposed within respective battle zones of said second playingarea, the respective contactors of said second play selector memberbeing electrically connected to said bulb receiving sockets disposedwithin said first playing area, first and second play initiatingswitches and first and second play indicating means, the sockets of saidsecond playing area being connected in series with said first playselector member, said first play initiating switch and an electricalpower supply, said first play indicating means being connected in serieswith said power supply and said first play initiating switch, thesockets of said first playing area being connected in series with saidsecond play selector member, said second play initiating switch and saidelectrical power supply, said second play indicating means beingconnected in series with said power supply and said second playinitiating switch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1933 Jackson 273-130 10/1936Heath 273--130 2/ 1949 Shirey.

11/1951 Hall 273130 6/1957 Baker et a1 273-430 7/1962 Kazakevich273--130 4/1963 Krzes 273-430 12/1963 Senick 273-130 FOREIGN PATENTS 4/1957 France. 5/ 1959 France. 12/1954 Italy. 6/ 1956 Italy.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

